Bean Bags on the Balcony

To celebrate my birthday I decided that I wanted to construct a bean bag toss game for the party. The enthusiasm for party games seems to be shared by many other friends, especially the midwesterners. After enlisting the help of fellow 'sconie Will, a new math/tech teacher, we set off for Pali Market.

In typical India fashion, there is no Home Depot or Menards where we could go to get all the materials we needed. Added to that, I don't have a jig saw here in Mumbai (it's back in Minneapolis). Luckily, Will has a power drill so at least we didn't have that obstacle. We went to the lumber store for some plywood, which is surprisingly expensive here (although when you think about it, there are a lot of people and not too many trees left). At the shop next door, we picked out six brass hinges and the 36 screws needed to install them. Then, we found a different lumber salesmen who actually had a jig saw. We left our wood with him for an hour while he cut out the circles. The shop next door to his sold us some sandpaper.

While we waited for the hole to be cut we shopped around for some bean substitutes for the bags. We eventually settled on a dal-like grain we got at Choice Foods, our favorite local grocer. We arranged for the kind folks at Choice to meticulously weigh six portions of the grain into six plastic bags. After walking into several fabric shops, we settled on Satnam's, the same store that provided us with our couch cushions. Mr. Satnam himself helped us pick out different colors and promised to have them ready in time for the party, which Will kindly picked up on the way from his apartment to our party.

So, to review:

4 pieces of cut plywood -- 575 INR

6 Brass Hinges and 36 3/4" screws -- 410 INR

Use of jig saw - 400 INR

4 sheets of sandpaper - 12 INR

Six bags of grain -- 270 INR

Fabric and tailoring -- 375 INR

TOTAL COST = 2042 INR ~ or about $41

Number of shops needed = 6!

Hours = 4 (+3 for the tailoring)

Maybe a lot money and certainly a lot of walking around the market asking questions (and getting confused looks!), but a wonderful insight into the local economy. Highly specialized small businesses drive the local economy here. This means many more jobs but lower efficiency. Conversely, customer service is WAY better because each exchange is more personal -- you better believe the next time I walk past those shops I'll get a smile from those shopkeepers. Think about that the next time you walk into Home Depot.

The bean bag toss was a wonderful addition to the birthday party and much fun was had by all. Perhaps it will catch on here in India?

Reading List

As I was writing an email to my parents and in-laws who are preparing for their upcoming journey to India, it occurred to me that other might enjoy knowing what books we have read that have broadened, deepened, and contextualized our experiences here in India.

Happy reading!

I made links to their amazon sites for further publisher info and reader reviews.

"In Spite of the Gods" Edward Luce This is a summary of the political history that took India from a 3rd world colonial subjugate to it's dominating economic position of today. Most importantly, Luce (of the Economist) explains how this happened and why it happened here. Super well written.

"Breathless in Bombay" Murzban F. Shroff Fictional short stories based on the author's experience wandering the neighborhoods. They are quick reads, insightful into everyday life, and tell the story of the city from a unique perspective. One story is about the dhobi wallahs (washermen) and how they have to defend their water rights. Another is about the internal politics inside a suburban apartment building. Yet another delves into the lives of the victoria-wallahs (fancy horse drawn carriage drivers).

"Midnight's Children" Salmon Rushdie Booker prize winning story about the partition between India and Pakistan told from the perspective of the first child born after midnight the night India became a free nation. Rushdie is an amazingly visceral writer. Highly recommended!

"Holy Cow" Sarah Macdonald Super fun Aussie journalist moves to Delhi with her partner. She has lots of travel stories and eventually goes on a spiritual journey through India with each chapter describing her experience with a different spiritual/cultural group. Great sense of humor and playfullness.

"The Ramayana" R. K. Narayan The fundamental book of the Hindu faith condensed into short-story format. This epic poem is the Diwali story, describing the battle between good and evil. Since Hinduism doesn't have one defining spiritual text (like the Torah, Koran or Bible), it relies on epic poems to teach morality, sprituality, duty, honor, etc.

"A Fine Balance" Rohinton Mistry Fictional story about several separate stories in Mumbai that eventually start to intersect in a way that could only happen here where the various economic classes intermingle so freely. The backdrop of the story is the political time period when Indira Gandhi (no relation to THAT guy, instead Nehru's daughter) imposed Emergency Rule to squelch rising inflation and political dissension.

These are just a few of the ones that we've read that would give you a great background of knowledge before you set off on your own unique Indian adventure. Cheers!

Mumbai's Melting Pot

True to it's form, Mumbai continues to amaze and fascinate. These past two weeks alone saw three huge festivals: Dahi Handi, Eid (with it's month-long eating extravaganza), and the beginnings of Ganpati.

Dahi Handi, or as the Westerners refer to it -- the human pyramid festival, was last Monday. Truck loads of men (with a few groups of women) sauntered through the streets to find honey pots strung up high. After assessing the situation, do some dancing, do a little planning and corralling of their group members (who get a bit distracted showing off for the local foreign tourists :-), they make a human pyramid to reach the honey pot. It is truly a spectacle. The roots of this festival are to celebrate the birth of Krishna, who was a naughty boy in his youth and would climb up to the kitchen counter.

He are the pictures that I took.

Dahi Handi 2011

And here is a link to a professional photography website. Super amazing images.

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/08/krishna_janmashtami.html

Meanwhile, the Muslims were fasting during the day and eating extravagant meals at sundown. See my earlier post for the foodie adventure that Waciuma and had down on Mohammed Ali Rd, the heart of Islam in Mumbai. This festival culminates with Eid, which was this past Wednesday. Everywhere you looked you saw men dressed in pure white. We heard fireworks throughout the night. I was disappointed that we had to decline an invitation to join the festivities with a family from ASB. It would have been a fantastic opportunity to learn more about their culture. Next year.

And of course, for Hindus in Mumbai, the grandaddy of them all -- Ganpati, the Ganesha Festival -- began this past Thursday. The temples have been given a facelift and some have been erected in public spaces (one right next to the meat salesmen I always go to in the market). Leading up to the festival, stores produce hundreds of thousands Ganesha statues of all shapes large and small. In our neighborhood, the store is on S.V. Road and we popped in for a visit. Inside were thousands of statues, some as large as 8ft high but most small enough for one person to easily carry in their arms -- the size of a baritone. It felt like a Saturday in early December as families were milling around trying to pick one out. Unfortunately for these families, almost all had been pre-sold.

In the evenings there are processions down our street involving lots of fast-paced music, dancing, and a cart carrying the Ganesha statue. We looked down from our window and took these pictures and video.

Ganpati 2011

It's a melting pot for sure with some many people out in the streets celebrating so many things. And the rains keep coming -- these people don't hold back just because there are torrential downpours. In fact, this past Monday we left school at 10:30am because the rains in combination with the high tide were causing flooding.

Hope you are all well, keep in touch!

Happy Ramzan!

Finally got a chance to experience the famous fast-breaking eating bonanza on Mohammed Ali Rd. down in South Mumbai. The food was amazing, the colors were vivid, and the people were happy.

Drop Box

Back in Mumbai

It seems overwhelming to begin to write about our summer and the re-transition back to living in Mumbai. Our summer was fantastic -- we visited England, Norway, Sweden, Scotland, and Ireland in a whopping 45 night trip. We hiked in places as diverse as the Hardanger Fjord in Norway to climbing up Mt. Brandon on the western coast of Ireland. We had a picnic lunch everyday except for one (it was raining so hard in the middle of a hike in England that we popped in to a cafe for a sandwich, hot soup, and hot coffee). We cooked breakfasts and dinners in hostels to save money (and then go out for drinks, coffee, or tea). We stayed in some magical B+B's that allowed us to feel like temporary locals in London, Edinburgh, and Dingle. And, we had a memorable stay with family and friends to get a truly special experience in Sweden.

Now we are back in Mumbai. Oddly, it hasn't been raining THAT much -- although the monsoon is definitely still a presence with occasional short outbursts. While we miss our friends and colleagues that left at the end of last school year, there are 30 fresh new faces to meet and get to know. Rachel and I introduced our local bar/cafe to a busload of newbies yesterday for a Friday happy hour. It's no Buffalo Wild Wings in Lakeville, but they do have Hoegarden on tap (although the price skyrocketed to $20 for a liter). Already we can see many new teachers becoming good friends.

This weekend we'll be doing a day trip up to Sanjay Gandhi National Park with Greg, Twyla, Waciuma and Dr. Emily Olson, our good friend from Minneapolis. It will be great to share this mega-city with her as she begins a three-week research stint at the Tata Institute.

School is going great. It is amazing how quickly ASB felt comfortable this time around. Both of us have remarked several times at the ease of which we have transitioned back into "educator" mode. Our rooms are looking great, our curriculum is in place and best of all, we know the kids! It will be another great year of music-making for us at ASB.

Europe Update

I won't go into too much detail now, but today we got some free internet so I figure that I'd do a short post to let you all know what we've been up to. So, here goes:

Last Tuesday (June 7) we flew from Mumbai to London where we spent two nights at one of the YHA's, toured Westminster Abbey and the Victoria-Abert Museum, and walked around the city a lot. Then, we took the train to the Cotswolds to hike the beautiful English countryside. While we did get a bit of rain, it was a great three days of being out in nature, meeting lots of locals, and drinking a few pints of bitter British ale. Then, we took the train back to London to do some serious sight-seeing: London Bridge, British Museum, Imperial War Museum, Billy Elliot, and more than enough trips on the underground to get comfortable. London was great!

This past Thursday we flew to Bergen, then rented a car to drive up into the Hardanger Fjord region where we stayed in the tiny town of Ulvik, right at the Eastern tip of the fjord. It was the quietest place I've ever been to! Since we had a rented car, we thoroughly explore the entire region enjoying driving up over the mountain pass, through many mountain tunnels, and even playing in the snow. The fjord country is indescribably beautiful and our pictures will not do it justice. After doing that for three days, we drove back to Bergen and are now staying at the YHA near the touristy center. We've got two days of sight-seeing planned ahead before flying to Sweden.

Europe as been great for us so far and we've managed to cut costs by cooking our own meals in the hostels and picnicing everywhere. Most of all, we continue to find a great balance between relaxation and the `clipboard of fun` (to borrow a phrase from Amanda Novak).

Hope you are all enjoying your June, see you soon!

RW

Goodbye to Year 1

It's impossible to sum up this year.

The last few weeks have been filled with concerts, ceremonies, and other events. Lots of goodbyes and busy getting the school ready for the summer. Before we left, we hugged many people goodbye and our administrators and our superintendent gave us big thumbs up for our work this year. It has felt wonderful to be in place we are so loved and appreciated.

We had a last outing with some staff at a super fun dance club where we acted like 21 year olds again (only to wake up the next day and remember that we are 30 year olds). And finally, a wonderful 30th bday dinner with 15 of our friends that were still here.

As for this year.... after getting home from school on Friday we both sat on the couch for a couple hours in shock at how fast it all went and tried to process the year. Instead of writing a lengthly blog about it, we thought we'd put together a slide show that can sum it all up better.

Love to you all and we'll try to put a few updates from the British Isles and Scandinavia as we travel this summer. Otherwise-- see you for year two!!

Rachel

The first video is of medium quality for slower download speeds ...

This one is a larger file, but better quality. Let it buffer or maybe you've got a real fast internet connection ...